Thesis Proposals
Student will present what they are doing, what they hope to accomplish, and how will they know they have accomplished it. Students should also be prepared to explain what, if any, setbacks are possible and how they would deal with such setbacks (What if the robot doesn’t work? What if my experiment is inconclusive? What if I can’t access the data I thought I could?). 25 % of the presentation will be set aside for questions from the Honors Council and, time permitting, others present.
Devising a Thesis Proposal and Plan
Thesis proposals must be submitted to the Honors Council for approval.
Submit your document (in form: LASTNAME_graduationyear_title.doc) to and to your primary advisor by April 1.
For example, Anderson_09_StrategyForDeterminingEfficacy.doc would be sent to jswedene@lssu by April 1.
Selecting Your Thesis Advisor
Before you embark on your thesis topic, you must engage a thesis advisor to mentor and guide you. Timing: Identify your advisor and develop your thesis topic no later than the second semester of your junior year.
Your primary thesis advisor must be:
- a tenured or tenure-track LSSU professor
Typically, advisors have expertise in a field related to your major. (Students seeking a thesis outside their major must meet with an Honors Council member to determine possibilities.)
Discuss ideas about your thesis topic with your advisor and select one to develop for your thesis proposal.
HONR 401 (1,0) : Honors Thesis Seminar
Each Spring, LSSU offers an HONR 401 (1,0) to commence the honors thesis work. In this required course, students will be expected to pick a topic, formulate a thesis, write a proposal, defend the proposal, and attend the senior thesis presentations in April.
Format and Requirements for the Proposal Document
Your thesis proposal must include certain information presented in sections that are identified by headings and follow a prescribed order. Your proposal document (excluding an Annotated Bibliography and Appendix) should be 6-10 pages, double-spaced, using a 12-point font. It will answer, at minimum:
What you are doing, Why you are doing this?, (Why is it important?), What will you accomplish?, How will you know you accomplished it?
Submitting Your Proposal
When you and your advisor are satisfied with your thesis proposal, email a copy to the Honors Council Chair, Jason K. Swedene () and to your advisor, according to the protocol set out in the beginning of this document.
Examples of successful thesis proposals are available through the Honors Director.
Approval of Your Proposal
The Honors Council requires an oral presentation of the proposal, after being given ample time to review your document submission. Upon completion of both, the Honors Council will send you a letter indicating that your proposal has been approved. If revision is required, you will receive an email from the Honors Council that will provide helpful, specific feedback on how to revise your proposal for resubmission.
This page’s content has been used and modified from Washington State University (honors.wsu.edu) with the permission of Libby Walker, Ph.D., Interim Dean.
